With his presence in John Wick: Chapter 4, Donnie Yen is finally getting the English-language, international showcase he’s always deserved. Yen is a huge star in his motherland of China and is about to become a very bright draw for international audiences, finding himself new fans every time he’s seen in an American film. With this new one, he should no longer be “oh I know that guy from somewhere” and be quite well known as the badass that he is. To you get to know his work, here are ten of the best Donnie Yen movies (in no particular order):
Dragon (aka Wu Xia) (2011)
A big part of Yen’s career has been filled with period pieces in which martial arts have an important place (the Wuxia genre). Dragon is no different. Here, Yen plays a family man who is hiding a dark past, when this past catches up with him, he must resort to his deadly ways and fights ensue. These bouts are solid and the film does not rely entirely on them to be interesting. The story is strong here and Yen’s character of Liu Jinxi is layered one. The presence of Takeshi Kaneshiro is a welcomed addition. It must be noted that Yen also did the fight design, choreography, and direction on this film. Plus, one of the first big Chinese Martial Arts stars, Jimmy Wang Yu, plays one of the bad guys.RELATED:
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Ip Man (series) (2008-2019)
The Ip Man series chronicles the life and work of Master Ip Man, a martial arts expert better known in the West as Sifu, who trained the young Bruce Lee. However, this man was much more than that, and these films tell his story in a romantic manner. The man exhibits a zen cool in this part that is fun to watch, and the character evolution is fantastic, allowing Ian to really delve into the character, give him some depth and show his acting arc. The action sequences are important here, but even more important are the sequences showing the life and times of Master Ip Man, and the films really give the character, and therefore Ian’s performance, room to grow. Yen was also the action choreographer for the first three installments of the series. The fourth entry in the series also stars Scott Adkins, who stars in John Wick: Chapter 4 alongside Ian. The first two Ip Man films are among the best Donnie Yen films ever made.
Hero (2002)
A Zhang Yimou film that showed what the director and his stars could do with a hefty budget, a solid script, and some amazing wire work within perfectly choreographed fight scenes. Following their face off in Once Upon a Time in China 2 in 1992, Donnie Yen and Jet Li get a new chance at a battle royale and they make the most of it. If there is any complaint here is that Yen doesn’t get all that much screen time in Hero, however, what he does get is a great display of his talent.
Kill Zone (aka SPL) (2005)
The film aims to showcase what Donnie Yen is capable of, if there ever was one. Here’s a badass bad cop who joins a new team and has to figure out what they’re up to. There are two incredible fights in this film: Donnie Yen takes on Chinese superstar Wu Jing (The Wandering Earth) and then, in the finale, the legendary Sammo Hung. Here Ian looks better than ever and kicks, punches and throws everything he can. Ian also directed the action scenes here, which he does often. Killing Zone was Yen’s first film as star director Wilson Yip before they teamed up again for the aforementioned Ip Man series.
Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
This film is a must see as it is the earliest film in Ian’s career and is meant to contrast him with Jet Li, another master loved around the world. Their final battle here is very different and shows how Yen can hold his own against a man like Jet Li. Fans love this Tsui Hark film because it is enjoyable and allows the actors to really connect with their characters. Being the second entry in a long-running series, it can mostly be watched as a standalone entry without losing too much of the plot. According to his IMDB listing, Ian was uncredited for his work as a choreographer on the film.
Kung Fu Killer (aka Kung Fu Jungle) (2014)
Here, like with many other films, Yen not only stars, but also served as action director, something he has been well-known for and sought after. His fights are on point and the way they are shown really allows the viewer to enjoy them. The full cast list here is plenty impressive, bringing all kinds of fighters to the screen and involving them in the filmmaking process. This film showcases not only Yen’s talent, but that of plenty other fighters who do not get nearly enough screen time. It’s the kind of film that was made with respect for the industry and the other players involved in both martial films and martial arts competitions.RELATED:
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14 Blades (2010)
This period piece also co-stars Sammo Hung and allows Yen to work with not only hand-to-hand combat, but also blades, something he is clearly good at. His role here is more balanced, giving him a character that feels like he’s not only about fighting, but a character that might even, possibly, be a romantic lead, in a martial arts period piece kind of way.
Big Brother (2018)
An almost family film, something Yen does not have too many of on his resume, Big Brother takes him into a school where his character tries to connect with the overly stressed students trying to make it to their state exams. The film is entertaining, we do get some good fights, but more importantly, it helps expose the demands put on high school students in China and how the system is basically designed to leave those with less money behind. This is one is an important film in its own right with the added advantage of starring Donnie Yen, who was also action director here.
Raging Fire (2021)
The last film of director Benny Chen, Raging Fire reteams Donnie Yen with Nicholas Tse who he costarred with in Bodyguards and Assassins (a period piece under-utilizing Yen) and Dragon Tiger Gate (a modern story where three heroes fight injustices using their martial arts skills). Raging Fire also has Yen credited as action director along with Kenji Tanigaki and Dede Ku. This one is high octane, modern, and gives Yen and Tse a lot of room to show their skills as actors and fighters.
Iron Monkey (1993)
A martial arts classic that features Yen as the second lead, to Yu Rongguang’s costumed, titular hero. In this, Yu plays a doctor who moonlights as a masked martial artist in order to fight injustice. Yen plays Wong Kei-ying, another doctor with superb martial arts skills, and the father of legendary Chinese folk hero Wong Few Hung (who Jet Li plays in the Once Upon a Time in China movies). He’s suspected of being Iron Monkey, and attempts to prove his innocence, only to realize that him and the costume hero share the same sense of justice. It ends with them teaming up to the delight of martial arts movie fanatics everywhere. Not only is it one of the best Donnie Yen movies, but it’s one of the best martial arts movies ever made.